Saturday 28th of November 2015 09:16:33 AM

link
On rolling hills just south of mountains, the city of Laramie is home to almost 35,000 people. It has 3 local craft brewpubs, located within a couple blocks of one another, and there are plenty of places to eat and drink in this area. The city buildings are one or two stories, and parking is free along the street. Coal Creek is a combination coffee bar and brewpub, operated as two adjacent businesses. The Tap room is at the end of the block, and the end cap of the one-story brick building is a colorful painted mural. Enter along the sidewalk under a narrow awning. It's not a huge place, with a couple communal picnic tables in the center, with booths along the front windows and interior wall. The tables and bar are constructed of thick timber, the floor is brown concrete, and the low ceiling is white with wood trim. The walls are painted in earth-tone orange and brown brushstrokes, and are adorned with leaf-themed artwork. Warm incandescent bulbs with glass flares provide decorative illumination. The bar has 8 stools and overlooks a white tile backed set of bulbous black taphandles. Above the taps is a shelf showcasing the type of appropriate glassware used for each type of beer; it is a nice touch. Down a short hallway past the bar is a windowed cold room with 7 stainless steel conditioning and serving tanks. In the last room back is their small 2-vessel brewhouse and 3 short stainless steel fermenters. The brewery opened in early 2014 and already has a great variety of brews. They have 12 house beers on tap, which are available by glass, 4-sampler flight, or growler. The beers tend to be flavorful and full-bodied, and my favorites were their Double Red IPA and Belgian Coffee Stout. A chalkboard behind the bar lists their beer, as well as their short food menu. Their offer simple sandwiches, salads, a few apps, and for dinner they also have pizza. There is nothing special about the service - it is just adequate. There is one television for sports, and hard rock background music is playing. The place has a social, happy-hour kind of atmosphere. Each of Laramie's 3 brewpubs had its own character, and this one aims to be the most beer-centric.